5 Amazing Transportation Innovations That Will Get You Moving

As urban areas expand and travel becomes more complex, the solutions are becoming more and more technology based. Whether for navigation, or moving about in an eco-friendly way, transportation innovations are sprouting left and right.

1. The SkyTran

Tel Aviv is soon set to become the world’s first city to have a mass-transit system based on the Maglev (magnetic levitation) technology, co-developed by NASA’s Ames Research Center. The SkyTran System will be comprised of two person pods that float down by means of overhead magnets. This electromagnetic mechanism ensures a virtually silent commute above bustling city streets, with zero emissions.

However, commuting in floating pods doesn’t come cheap. At an estimated cost of $50 million, the four-mile route, to be constructed during the coming year, will connect the Tel Aviv University train station with the nearby Atidim high-tech park and take about 18 months to construct. Further north, the coastal city of Netanya is also considering the construction of a SkyTran system.

2. Electric City Car That Can Fold To The Size Of A Motorcycle

As any true urbanite will know, few things are more frustrating that driving around for half an hour just to find a parking spot. Luckily, Israeli company City Transformer’s has created an eco-friendly foldable car that takes up just a quarter of a regular parking spot.

3. 3D Printed Car

More than a century ago, the automotive industry was the first to make use of the assembly line, kick-starting the industrial revolution. Now, Israeli company Stratasys is trying to launch another revolution, by using 3D printing to manufacture cars.

4. Hyperloop

The Hyperloop is a conceptual high-speed transportation system envisioned by entrepreneur Elon Musk, incorporating reduced-pressure tubes in which pressurized capsules ride on a cushion of air, driven by a combination of linear induction motors and air compressors.

The conceptual route runs from the Los Angeles region to the San Francisco Bay Area, paralleling the Interstate 5 corridor for most of its length, with an expected journey time of 35 minutes, meaning that passengers would traverse the 354-mile (570 km) route at an average speed of around 598 mph (962 km/h), with a top speed of 760 mph (1,220 km/h).

5. Car to Car Communication

Human error is still the primary cause of traffic accidents. Israeli company AutoTalks is therefore enabling cars to "talk" to each other and warn drivers of potential accidents. The company envisions that by 2015 the first cars manufactured with these talking chipsets will be on the market.